Into the Swamp - RedTentBlueTarp

Park at Lettuce Lake with the visitor center in the background — Park at Lettuce Lake with a building at the visitor center in the background.

This afternoon, the backyard journey extended several miles to the north end of Tampa – Lettuce Lake Park. It is a 240 acre park with a tremendous boardwalk over a swamp that feels almost primitive. The sight of alligators lounging on fallen logs, and snakes curled around themselves next to pond lilies do nothing but enhance that feeling.

Look at the texture of its skin. This is the closest I've ever knowingly been to an adult alligator. Although they regularly sun themselves on the lawn when it is not cold, they make tremendous efforts to avoid people. — Look at the texture of its skin. This is the closest I’ve ever knowingly been to an adult alligator. Although they regularly sun themselves on the lawn when it is not cold, they make tremendous efforts to avoid people.

Alligator bromating on a log in Lettuce Lake Park — Another alligator bromating/sleeping on a log in Lettuce Lake Park

It is a wonderful place, a half an hour away, that I had not heard about in the four years we’ve lived here. We discovered it in a local paper. It was very satisfying, though perhaps a bit too crowded to be ideal. Not stumbling-over-people-crowded, though. At any rate, it was the place that I saw a bird I have been missing: the roseate spoonbill.

Regretfully, it was from all the way across the lake and my camera is not built for that kind of challenge – particularly in low light conditions. I’ve been longing to see them on our lawn again. They’ve been here two years in a row, in the fall and in the spring. I didn’t see any this fall, and was eagerly awaiting the spring to catch a glimpse of them. Very exciting to see them again today. And there were three! I have about 100 photos and these are the two best of the lot.

A first for me, this heron is not as elegant as, say, the great white, or the great blue, but still very appealing to me. — A first for me, this heron is not as elegant as, say, the great white, or the great blue, but still very appealing.

This bird is the Black-crowned Night Heron, which according to Cornell University which has an ornithology department, “are the most widespread heron in the world”. I was excited to see him today because I’d never heard or read about. It wasn’t dusk, which is apparently when they come out, and he was squatting on a log, reaching through the swamp cover to the fecund waters beneath.

It is interesting that this is the dead of winter. Today was warm and not humid, so it was quite pleasant to be in the swamp. I wish very much to see this place in the spring when there is even more activity. The two alligators that we saw (other visitors mentioned there were several more) were both sound asleep – or bromating, I can’t say. But they were so plainly comfortable around the sounds of humans.

I saw a woodpecker, but just at the moment that the camera found him the batter died. He was a tiny fellow. A snakebird, a couple of great white herons and a very noble looking wood stork all showed up. What a pleasure to see another wood stork just a day later – particularly in its native habitat. Well, I suppose the backyard is, too, since it was not created for him. But the fact that is is preserved purely for the wild makes it more of a home to them, I’m sure.

Great white heron in the swamp at Lettuce Lake Park.

I don’t know what kind of snake that was curled onto itself in such a manner, but it didn’t move in the couple of hours we spent walking back and forth.

Snake curled amid the swamp plants at Lettuce Lake Park. — Snake curled onto itself amid the swamp plants at Lettuce Lake Park.

The only creatures with any energy were the squirrels. They’re so commonplace that people seem to consider them pests. They are very pest-like in the backyard when they munch on the birdfeed because they are both so voracious and clever about the process. But in the wild? I like them there. I like them even in the backyard when there is no feed out.

A yellow flower grows among the green of the swamp cover.

Lily pad in the swamp at Lettuce Lake Park

Black crowned night heron searching through the black water. — Same black crowned night heron searching through the black water.

Reflection in the water at Lettuce Lake Park

Giant snails at the park. I believe these are a species of applesnails. They just added to the prehistoric feel of the locale – well, if you don’t count the boardwalk!

Monarch butterfly in the swamp at Lettuce Lake Park. — Monarch butterfly in the swamp amid the pond foliage.

Bird on a branch — I couldn’t tell which bird this was, but I followed it for a while as it skittered from tree to tree. It was the first animal I saw in the park, and really didn’t expect to encounter the subsequent thrills.

Boardwalk and swamp at Lettuce Lake Park

Boardwalk and blue sky at Lettuce Lake Park

Root system of several trees in the swamp.

Closeup of a blunted root from a fallen log? Or perhaps this is just how this tree grows, with some upright roots?

Three Ibis and their reflection in the backyard.

A turtle who was sunning himself on the back. I startled him and he went offshore a short distance then surfaced to keep an eye on me. — A turtle who was sunning himself on the bank. I startled him and he went offshore a short distance then surfaced to keep an eye on me.

Bird facing the morning sun. From its shape and what I can read of the coloring, this is an eastern phoebe.

Aperture: ƒ/8
Camera: Canon PowerShot SX510 HS
Taken: 16 January, 2016
Focal length: 129mm
ISO: 400
Shutter speed: 1/1000s

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